Presently, in most cases, the electrical consumption of households is measured using mechanical alternating current meters or three-phase current meters according to the induction principle. These meters ascertain the power (=energy) integrated over time. In special forms, they may separately meter day/night consumption or feed-in/consumption using multiple counter mechanisms. In parallel, electronic meters already exist, which ascertain the transmitted power and therefore the energy via the integration of the product of current and voltage value.
Energy management systems having corresponding software for energy consumption optimization have become known in the meantime for residential and commercial buildings. However, all approaches on the market may only be put into operation with substantial installation outlay. In addition, such systems may only be used in a restricted way.
Such approaches are based, for example, on energy management software, which is connected to an installed building control system (BCS). The existing software solutions have limited capability, using the provided sensors, of detecting the energetic actual states of the building technology which is connected to this BCS. Automatic control on the basis of predefined setpoint parameters does not exist, however. In the energy management devices offered on the market, in which, for example, those of ENNOVATIS have already reached a high level of innovation, loads and generators must be wired separately with the energy management system. Furthermore, localization information must be complexly programmed. In addition, only actual states may be detected and displayed.
Thus, for example, Application No. DE 10 2004 055088 A1 describes a system for detecting and storing measured data required for ascertaining and analyzing the consumption of a property, such as internal and external temperatures or the like, and for controlling the consumption of the property, using a data logger, and a data analyzer, having at least one input required for the measured data registration, having at least one control output, and having at least one interface for data readout. It is provided that all components are situated on a single, compact circuit board. A corresponding method provides that after initial programming of the system using a programming unit (PC), the system operates independently on the basis of its components.
A patent application (having no prior publication) of the applicant having the internal reference number R.328907 describes a method and a device for carrying out the method for an energy management system for optimizing loads and generation in an energy management network, which has at least one energy management unit, the actual state of the energy consumers or the energy generators being transmitted via combined energy supply/communication lines to the energy management unit and therefore independent configuration of the energy management unit being carried out, at least one setpoint parameter being set on the energy management unit.
If a plurality of different electricity rates, e.g., for household current, heat pump current, electric vehicle current, photovoltaic feed-in (PV supply), cogeneration feed-in, are used, the connection in the building is presently implemented using a plurality of feed-in and consumption meters. In research projects, so-called “smart meters” are being developed, which, in addition to registering the transmitted energy, also display switching information on the basis of energy prices to the consumers. However, these presume that the household is a customer of only one utility company. Application No. DE 20218473 U1, corresponding to Application No. EP 1 339 153 A3, describes such equipment for connecting a building or the like having at least one consumer and/or generator of electrical energy to a low-voltage system, which has at least one component in each case assigned to the consumer or generator in the form of a switch and/or a measuring element and an information processing unit, which allows bidirectional communication between an external grid control center and the consumer or generator and/or the component.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method which allows electricity services or electrical energy for different consumers and optionally different times of day to be purchased from various providers at independent rates, to deliver self-generated electrical energy from different generators and optionally at different times of day at independent rates and optionally to consume, cost-effectively, self-generated energy itself, preferably as far as it is meaningful.
Furthermore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a corresponding device for carrying out the method.